394, introduced by Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, would give local judges and prosecutors the option of creating a diversion program for parents who are primary caregivers for a child 18 years old or younger and commit a “nonserious, nonviolent” felony or lesser crime, as described in state law.

It’s drawn support from advocates for reducing mass incarceration and criticism from a prominent state prosecutor’s association.

Creating a diversion program for parents is a priority for Ashleigh Carter of Long Beach, who has testified in support of the bill.

She spent five years in prison for using and selling drugs. Her daughter, Asia, was just 3 when her mother was locked up.

“My life was totally rattled by incarceration,” said Carter, 35. “When I returned home, I had to get to know an entirely new person.”

The mother and daughter are in a good place now. They’ve worked their way “through the muck,” as Carter called it, to rebuild trust.

“People are starting to wake up and realize that the punishment model has not served us, that we have to move towards a more rehabilitative model,” Carter said. “We have to community infrastructure that support our people and treat them holistically.”

The bill is opposed by the California District Attorneys Association.

Larry Morse, the group’s legislative director, said it supports the concept of diversion programs, noting DAs around the state have created their own programs for veterans, homeless individuals, those with substance abuse disorders and others.

But, he said, there “are so many loopholes in this legislation, it gives us very grave concern.” As an example, Morse said judges would not be required to verify whether a parent is truly a primary caregiver.

Also, he said the bill’s language about “nonserious, nonviolent” offenses is misleading. That description is a legal definition used by California, but includes everything from minor thefts to felony assaults.

Given the loopholes, he said not a single DA across the state has supported the bill.

Erin Haney is senior counsel with #cut50, a criminal justice reform group backing the legislation. She said parents selected for diversion would be required to complete programs such as family counseling, anger management, job training, and substance abuse and mental health treatment.

“It looks for ways to support those primary caregivers and their families, rather than simply to punish them,” Haney said. “Diversion courts are accountability courts. So, this is not by any means a get out of jail free card.”

The state Senate approved it 30 to 2 in May. A month later, the Assembly public safety committee passed it 6 to 0.

By Barbara Feder Ostrov
Californians stricken with COVID-19 took the first step in filing more than 5,000 workers’ compensation claims from January through May, according to state data released to CalMatters.

11:20 a.m. : Thousands join Sacramento protests Saturday
Thousands of people marched against police brutality and racism, starting at the Golden 1 Center in downtown Sacramento, then heading east toward City

NorCal News

By Mikhail Zinshteyn In Summary California’s extensive community college system is responsible for helping train a huge number of the state’s police officers. Eloy Ortiz Oakley, the system’s chancellor, wants to change the curriculum to help fight racism. Eloy Ortiz Oakley wants to change how…

In an article from the public media journal Current, Northern California Public Media was recognized this week for its efforts to ramp up communication with our Spanish speaking neighbors. Of particular interest to writer Grace Vitaglione was the organization's bilingual approach to its 13-week run…

We put the call out for your questions related to the coronavirus pandemic, and you’ve asked about where you can find ongoing information, how the recent protests will affect COVID-19 case counts, access to testing and more. Here’s what we learned from the experts during our June 2 Town Hall. Even…

By Ben Christopher, CalMatters Depending on your viewpoint, now is either exactly the right time or precisely the wrong time to take up a proposed change to the state constitution that seems certain to reignite a heated debate about race and justice in California. At issue: a measure pending in the…

By Cresencio Rodriguez-Delgado, The Fresno Bee/California Divide On a recent hot Saturday, residents in a small tract of homes west of Fresno huddled under the shade to wait for a distribution of hygiene products and food. Many of those who waited in lines for toilet paper, canned food and masks…

Santa Rosa has declared a local emergency and instituted a citywide curfew through Thursday morning in response to incidents of violence, looting and vandalism that occurred over the weekend following peaceful protests spurred by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The curfew is effective in…